Debris collection container for a planer

ABSTRACT

A planer assembly consisting of a planer and a debris collection container, the debris collection container comprising a receptacle for storage of debris generated by a planer during its planing action and a connector which connects the receptacle to a planer and through which debris can pass from the a planer to the receptacle during use wherein there is provided at least one transparent window in the connector and/or the receptacle.

The present invention relates to a planer and in particular to debriscollection containers for a planer and airflow and chip removal in aplaner.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Planers comprise a body mounted on a shoe. A rotatable cutting drum ismounted within the body which is rotatingly driven by an electric motoralso mounted within the body. An aperture is formed through the shoethrough which part of the periphery of the cutting drum extends. Cuttingblades are mounted on the drum which, as the drum rotates, periodicallypass through the aperture and below the shoe. In use, the shoe islocated on a work piece and the drum is rotatingly driven by the motor.When the blades pass through the aperture and move below the shoe, theblades engage with the workpiece and remove a thin slice of theworkpiece from the surface of the workpiece, producing shavings orchips. Due to the rotational movement of the drum, the shavings or chipsare thrown in a generally forward and upward direction in relation tothe planer. One problem is the removal of the shavings or chips from thecutting area of the planer. A second problem is the collection of theshavings or chips for disposal.

In some designs of planer, the chips or shaving are directed using adeflector which directs the shavings or chips side ways from the planer.A fan or impeller mounted on the drive shaft of the motor can be used togenerate an airflow which can be used to assist in the removal of theshavings or chips. DE19512262 discloses such a system. However, theproblem with existing designs are that they are not efficient at mixingthe air flow with the shavings or chips to entrain them for removal.

In order to collect the chips or shavings, a debris collection containeris attached to the aperture through which the chips or shavings areejected from the body of the planer. Existing designs of debriscollection containers comprise a metal wire frame which is covered by acloth bag such as a canvas bag. A tubular connector is attached to themetal wire frame and cloth bag and which can be attached to the ejectionaperture so that the chips or shavings can pass through the connectorfrom the planer to the debris collection container. A zipper is sewninto the side of the cloth bag which, when opened forms an aperturethrough which the shavings or chips can be emptied from the cloth bag. Aproblem with this design is that the hole formed by the unopened zipperis narrow making emptying the bag difficult. Furthermore, it isdifficult for an operator to insert a hand into the bag to assist in theremoval of the shavings or chips. The zipper can also scratch the handof the operator. The shavings or chips can further interfere with theoperation of the zipper.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly there is provided a planer assembly comprising a planer anda debris collection container capable of being connected to the planer,the planer comprising:

-   -   a body mounted on a shoe, the shoe having an aperture formed        through it;    -   a cutting drum rotatably mounted within a recess within the        body, a part of the periphery of the cutting drum projecting        through the aperture in the shoe;    -   a motor to rotatingly drive the cutting drum;    -   an airflow generator which, when the planer is in use, creates        an airflow within the body for entraining debris created by the        cutting action of the drum to move the debris to an exit port on        the side of the body through which the air and any entrained        debris are expelled from the body; and    -   the debris collection container comprising a receptacle for        storage of debris generated by the cutting drum during its        planing action and a connector which is capable of connecting to        the receptacle to the exit port of the body of the planer and        through which debris can pass from the inside of the body to the        receptacle during use wherein there is provided at least one        transparent window in the connector to enable any debris        entrained within the air passing through the connector to be        seen by an operator and to enable debris stored within the        receptacle to be also seen by an operator.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A number of embodiments of the invention will now be described withreference to the following drawings of which:

FIG. 1 shows a side view of the plane with the deflector removed;

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the planer of FIG. 1 with deflector insertedin the planer;

FIG. 3 shows the design of deflector for use in the planer of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a lengthwise vertical cross section of the planer of FIG. 1through the centre of the planer (excluding the motor and handle);

FIG. 5 shows a lengthwise vertical cross section taken through theplaner of FIG. 1 at the position indicated by dashed line Z in FIG. 2(excluding the handle);

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the first embodiment of a debriscollection container;

FIG. 7 shows an exploded view of the debris collection container of FIG.6 excluding the cloth bag and circular end piece;

FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of the debris collection container ofFIG. 6 with the cap detached from the receptacle;

FIG. 9 shows a side view of the second embodiment of the debriscollection container;

FIG. 10 shows a side view of the debris collection container of FIG. 9with the cap detached;

FIG. 11 shows a sketch of the connection mechanism of the debriscollection container of FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 shows a sketch of a top view of the planer of FIG. 1 with adebris collection container of FIG. 9 attached;

FIG. 13 shows a lengthwise vertical cross section of the secondembodiment of the planer through the centre of the planer (excluding themotor and handle);

FIG. 14 shows a lengthwise vertical cross section taken through theplaner of FIG. 13 (excluding the handle);

FIG. 15 shows a second downward side view of the planer of FIG. 13 withthe deflector inserted; and

FIG. 16 shows a design drawing of a lengthwise slice taken through thethird embodiment of the planer (excluding the handle).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A first embodiment of the planer will now be described with reference toFIG. 1 to 5. The planer comprises a body 2 having a handle 4 attached tothe top of the body 2. A cutting drum 6 is rotatingly mounted within arecess 50 in the body 2 of the planer. The body 2 of the planer ismounted on a shoe formed from two pieces 8, 10. The rear part 8 ismounted rearwardly of the drum 6. The forward part 10 is mounted forwardof the drum 6. An aperture 18 in the shoe is formed by the front 10 andrear sections of the shoe through which part 20 of the periphery of thecutting drum extends. The height of the forward part 10 of the shoe canbe adjusted in relation to the body 2 by the rotation of a knob 12mounted on the front of the body 2 of the planer. The operation of theknob 12 is well known and will not therefore be discussed any further.

Mounted within a cavity 14 of the body 2 of the planer is an electricmotor (not shown). The electric motor rotatingly drives the cutting drum6 via a drive belt (not shown). Cutting blades 16 are mounted within thecutting drum 6 and which cut the workpiece upon which the planer ismounted on the cutting drum rotates. The cutting blades, as the drumrotates, periodically pass through the aperture 18 and below the shoe tocut the workpiece in well known manner. The construction of the electricmotor, the cutting drum 6, the cutting blades 16 and the belt drivesystem are well known in the art and are therefore not discussed anyfurther.

Formed through the full width of the body 2 of the planer is a tubularaperture 24. A deflector 26 which is described in more detail below canbe inserted into the aperture 24 from either side. This enables theshavings or chips to be directed to either side of the planer. A plasticcap (not shown) is used to seal up the other aperture.

Referring to FIG. 3, the deflector 26 in accordance with the presentinvention is shown. The deflector 26 comprises two sections 28, 30. Thefirst outer section 28 is a tube of circular cross-section which, whenthe deflector 26 is inserted into the aperture 24 of the planer,projects sidewaysly from the body 2 of the planer as shown in FIG. 2.The second section 30 is a curved section. The curved section has asubstantially U shaped cross-section which forms a trough which curvesover its length. The sides 32 of the U-shaped curved trough have beenflattened as best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5. This results in a ridge 34along the length of the curved section 30 where the flat surface 32meets with a curved surface 36 of the U shaped cross section. The shapeof the cross-section of the curved section 30 of the deflector 26 issuch that it fits snugly into the aperture 24 in the side wall of thebody 2 of the planer in order to hold the deflector securely and preventit from rotating within the aperture 24. Formed between the two sections28, 30 is an annular rib 38 which surrounds the circumference of thedeflector 26. The outer diameter of the annular rib 38 is greater thanthe diameter of the aperture 24 and thus prevents the deflector 26 frombeing inserted too far into the planer. When the deflector 24 is locatedwithin the body 2 of the planer, the rib 38 abuts against a side wall ofthe body 2 of a planer, the tubular section 28 remaining outside of thebody. The rib is angled 35 in relation to the longitudinal axis 33 ofthe tubular section 28 so that it is less than ninety degrees as shownin FIG. 3. This is to allow the tubular section to point upwards whenlocated within the body of the planer. The deflector 26 is formed as aone-piece construction and is made from plastic moulded into theappropriate shape.

Mounted on the drive spindles of the motor is of fan (not shown) whichgenerates an airflow. The air is directed into a cavity 40 formed in thebody of the planer. The air then passes through a conduit 42 over thetop wall 44 which forms the top wall of the aperture 24. The directionof the airflow is indicated by Arrows W. The airflow is then directeddownwardly to an area 46 in the body 2 forward of the wall 48 of therecess 50 in which the drum 6 is mounted. An expulsion aperture 52 isformed in the wall 48 of the recess 52 forward of the cutting drum 6through which any debris created by the cutting action of the blades 16would be thrown by the rotating blades 16. The airflow is directedwithin the body to a point below the expulsion aperture 52 in the wallof the recess and is directed to be blown across the aperture 52 withinthe body in a direction having an acute angle to the direction of travelof any debris (shown by Arrow T) in order to entrain the debris in theairflow within the body.

The airflow and entrained debris is directed upwardly until it engageswith the underside of the curved section 30 of the deflector 26 which islocated within the aperture 24 when the planer is in use. The airflowand entrained debris is then directed out of the side of the planerthrough the tubular section 28 and into a debris collection container.

A second embodiment of the planer will now be described with referenceto FIGS. 13 to 15. Where the same features are shown in secondembodiment as those in the first, the same reference numbers have beenused. The second embodiment is exactly the same as the first embodimentexcept that the curved section 30 of the deflector forms the lower wallof the conduit 42 through which the airflow is directed over thedeflector 26. The aperture has no upper wall within the body 2 of theplaner.

When the deflector 26 is located within the aperture 24, the flat sidewalls 32 of the deflector 26 engage with internal walls 54 of the bodyand form an air tight seal preventing air which is passing over thedeflector 26 from travelling between the flat walls 32 of the deflectorand the internal wall 52 of the body ensuring it travels forward anddownward to the point 46 below the expulsion aperture 52 for entrainingof the debris.

Because the deflector 26 is angled downwardly by the angle 35 of the rib38 being non perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 33 of the deflector,a large cavity is formed above the deflector 26 allowing air to easilypass over the top of the deflector 26. FIG. 15 shows a planer accordingto the second embodiment. The curve section 30 can be seen through theentrance of the aperture 24.

A third embodiment of the planer will now be described with reference toFIG. 16. Where the same features are shown in second embodiment as thosein the first, the same reference numbers have been used. The secondembodiment is exactly the same as the first embodiment except that asecondary vent 56 has been added within the body above the area 46 inthe body 2 forward of the wall 48 of the recess 50 in which the drum 6is mounted. The secondary vent 56 directs air into the path of the airwith entrained debris at an acute angle approximately at the same heightas the top of the expulsion aperture 52 formed in the wall 48 of therecess 52 forward of the cutting drum 6 through which any debris createdby the cutting action of the blades 16 would be thrown by the rotatingblades 16. It will be appreciated that the vent 56 can be locatedslightly lower down relative to the adjacent the aperture 52.

FIGS. 6 to 8 show a first embodiment of a debris collection containerwhich can be used with any of the three embodiments of planer previouslydescribed. The debris collection container comprises two sections, anend cap section 60 and the receptacle 70. The end cap section 60 ismanufactured in a one-piece construction from transparent plastic. Theend cap section 60 comprises a tubular connection section 62 whichconnects to the first tubular section 28 of the deflector 26. Thetubular connection section 62 has a circular aperture (not shown) at oneend whilst the other end meets with a dome shaped section or partspherical section 64. The dome shaped section 64 comprises a rim 66which surrounds a large aperture formed in the base of the dome shapesection 64. The rim 66 comprises an L-shaped slot 68 which forms part ofa bayonet connection system for use in connecting the end cap section 60to the receptacle 70. Air and entrained debris pass through the aperturein the end of the tubular connection section 62, through the tubularconnection section 62 and into the dome shape section 64 before beingexpelled from the end cap section 60 through the large aperture in thebase of the dome 64. The shape of the dome is such that it acts as adeflector, bending the air and entrained debris through ninety degreesso that the air and entrained debris are travelling perpendicular to thedirection they were travelling in when they were passing through thetubular connection section 62. By constructing the dome shape section 64in transparent plastic, the operator of the planer can look into thedebris collection container to determine how full container is.Furthermore, as the planer is operating, the operator will be able tosee the entrained debris passing through the tubular connection section62 and pass through the dome section thereby enabling the operator tosee that the planer is working correctly.

The receptacle 70 comprises at one end an annular plastic ring 72 whichsurrounds a large circular aperture which forms of the entrance to thereceptacle 70. The annular plastic ring 72 is divided lengthwise intotwo halves, a front half 74 having a diameter less than that of the inthe diameter of the rim 66 of the dome shaped section 64 of the end capsection 60, and a second rear half 76 having a diameter equal to that ofthe outer diameter of the rim of the dome shape section 64 of the endcap section 60. A lip 78 is formed between the front and rear sections74, 76 which abuts against the side of the rim of the dome shapedsection 64 of the end cap section 60 when the end cap section isconnected to the receptacle. Two pins 80 project radially outwardly fromthe surface of the front half. The pins are used as part of a bayonetconnection to connect the end cap section to the receptacle by slidinginto the L-shaped slot 68 formed in the rim 66 of the end cap section inconnecting receptacle to the end cap section 60 in well known manner.

Located at the other end of the receptacle is a circular end piece 82formed from plastic. The circular end piece forms a base of thereceptacle and can be manufactured from transparent plastic material toenable an operator to view inside the receptacle from the base. Thecircular end piece 82 has a diameter which is the same as that of theannular plastic ring 72. A helical spring 84 having the same diameter asthat of the annular plastic ring 72 and the circular end piece 82connects between the annular plastic ring 72 and the circular end piece82 and holds the relative positions of the two parts. A tubular shapedcloth bag 86 connects between the plastic annular ring 72 and thecircular end piece 82 and surrounds the helical spring. The spring actsto maintain the shape of the circular receptacle and to keep thecircular cloth sheaf in shape.

Formed on the annular plastic ring is a plastic catch 88. Formed on thecircular end piece is a U-shaped plastic loop 90 which extends from thatthe circular end piece 82 towards the annular plastic ring 72. Thelocation of the U-shaped plastic loop 90 results in that when that thehelical spring 84 is compressed by moving the circular end piece 82towards the annular plastic ring 72, the loop 90 engages with andattaches to the plastic catch 88. This is ideal for storage. During use,the U-shaped plastic loop 90 is released from the catch and allows thehelical spring 84 to bias the circular end piece 82 away from theannular plastic ring 72 to maximize the volume of space within thereceptacle 70. The helical spring maintains the shape of the receptaclethe relative positions of the plastic annular is ring 72 and thecircular end piece 82. However, due to the resilient nature of thehelical spring 84, the structure allows some relative movements betweenthe two enabling flexibility within the receptacle. However, when thereceptacle is not in use, the helical spring 84 can be compressed sothat the circular end piece 82 is moved towards the annular plastic ring72 until the U-shaped plastic loop 90 engages with the plastic catch 88to secure the circular end piece 82 to the annular ring 72 maintainingthe helical spring 84 under compression and substantially reducing thevolume of the space within the receptacle. This is ideal for storagepurposes.

In use, the tubular connection section of the end cap is connected tothe deflector 26 on the planer. The receptacle 70 is connected to theend cap section by use of the bayonet connector. The circular end piece82 is disconnected from the catch 88 on the annular plastic ring 72 toallow the helical spring 84 to bias the circular end piece 82 away fromthe plastic annular ring 72 generating the shape of the container.

Referring to FIGS. 9 to 11, a second embodiment of the debris collectioncontainer is shown. The debris collection container comprises an end cap100 and a receptacle 102 which is capable of being attached to the endcap 100. The end cap 100 is manufactured in a one-piece constructionfrom transparent plastic. The end cap 100 comprises a tubular connectionsection 104 which connects to the first outer section 28 of thedeflector 26. The tubular connection section 104 has a circular apertureat one end whilst the other end meets with a dome shaped orsemi-spherical section 106. The dome shape section 106 is mounted on arectangular base 108 which comprises a rectangular rim 110 whichsurrounds a large aperture formed in the base of the dome shape section106. The rim 110 comprises a T-shaped slot 112 which forms part of aconnection system for use in connecting the end cap 100 to thereceptacle 102. Air and entrained debris pass through the aperture inthe end of the tubular connection section 104, through the tubularconnection section and into the dome shape section 106 before beingexpelled from the end cap 100 through the large aperture in the base 108of the dome. The shape of the dome 106 is such that it acts as adeflector for the air and entrained debris and causes it to bend throughninety degrees so that the air and entrained debris are travellingperpendicular to the direction they were travelling in when they werepassing through the tubular connection section 104. By constructing theend cap 100 in transparent plastic, the operator of the planer can lookinto the debris collection container to determine how full the containeris. Furthermore, as the planer is operating, the operator will be ableto see the entrained debris passing through the tubular connectionsection and pass through the dome section thereby enabling the operatorto see that the planer is working correctly.

The receptacle comprises a rectangular plastic frame 114 which acts asan entrance for the receptacle 102. Attached to the rectangular plasticframe 114 is a large rectangular metal frame (not shown) made from stiffmetal wire which forms of the structure of the receptacle. Attached tothe rectangular plastic frame 114 and covering the large rectangularmetal frame is a bag 116 made from cloth. The use of a cloth bagcovering a metal frame is well know whether such will not be discussedany further.

Mounted within the rectangular plastic frame are two C shaped lockingmembers 118 as shown in FIG. 11 which are used to lock the receptacle102 to the end cap 100. The method of mounting is not shown. The two Cshaped locking members 118 are mounted within the rectangular plasticframe 114 so that the ends 120 of each of the two arms of the C shapedlocking members 118 face each other as shown in FIG. 11. Formed on theends of the two arms of the two C shaped locking members 118 are pegs122 which project outwardly. Helical springs 124 are mounted between theends 120 of each pair of corresponding arms in order to bias the two Cshaped locking members 118 outwardly away from each other as indicatedby Arrows X. Rod s126 is mounted within the helical springs to keep thehelical springs 124 in position. Holes are formed within the rectangularplastic frame to enable the fingers of an operator to engage with thetwo C shaped locking members to push them towards each other against thebiasing force of the springs 124.

In order to attach the receptacle 102 to the end cap 100, an operatorwould squeeze the two C shaped locking members 118 together against thebiasing force of the springs 124 moving the pegs 122 formed on the ends120 of the arms 118 of each of the two C shaped locking mechanisms 118towards each other. Whilst held in this position, the pegs 122 are ableto pass through the entrance of the T-shaped slot 112 in the end cap100. The operator can then the push the end cap 100 towards thereceptacle 102, the pegs 122 moving further into the T-shaped slot 112until they become aligned with the top section of the T-shaped slot 112.The operator then releases the C shaped locking members 118 to allowthem to move outwardly due to the biasing force of the springs 124causing the pegs 122 to travel outwardly in the top section of theT-shaped slot 112 thus locking the receptacle 102 to the end cap 100.

FIG. 12 shows they view of the second embodiment of the debriscollection container attached to the planer. As can be seen, the debriscollection container is located along side the planer and thelongitudinal axis 132 of the debris container extends in parallel to thelongitudinal axis 130 of the planer.

1. A planer assembly comprising a planer and a debris collectioncontainer capable of being connected to the planer, the planercomprising: a shoe defining an aperture; a body mounted on the shoe; thebody defining a recess and an exhaust aperture; a cutting drum rotatablymounted within the recess, a part of the periphery of the cutting drumprojecting through the aperture in the shoe; a motor driveably connectedto the cutting drum; an airflow generator operable to create an airflowwithin the body for entraining debris created by the action of thecutting drum and to move the debris to the exhaust aperture throughwhich the air and any entrained debris are expelled from the body; andthe debris collection contained comprising: a receptacle for storage ofdebris generated by the cutting drum; and a connector connectablebetween the receptacle and the exhaust aperture of the body of theplanar and through which debris can pass from the body to thereceptacle, and wherein at least a portion of the connector istransparent for viewing the debris.
 2. The planer assembly of claim 1,wherein the entire connector is transparent.
 3. The planer assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the transparent portion is curved.
 4. The planerassembly of claim 3 wherein the curved transparent portion acts as adeflector to turn the direction of travel of any air or debris entrainedwithin the air in the connector through substantially ninety degrees. 5.The planer assembly of claim 1 wherein the transparent portion is a partspherical dome.